Game Preview: Orioles @ Sox GM2

Trachsel (5-7, 5.24) vs. Tavarez (6-8, 5.12)
Fenway Park 705

Rather than move Tim Wakefield up a day Tito has elected to tap Julian Tavarez to start tonight's contest in place of the dearly departed Kason Gabbard.

So after a couple of weeks relegated back to spot bullpen duty, Julie finds himself right back where he wants to be, and where every Sox fan cringes when they see him: in the starting rotation.

Wait a minute, that's not true--we hate to see him in any situation, starting or relieving (couldn't Theo have found a way to ship him back to St. Louie in the Pineiro giveaway, err deal?)

With his recent starting performances bordering on the obscene (28 hits, 16 earned runs in 13 1/3IP) maybe his recent solid stretch in the pen (3H, 0ER in 3 2/3IP) will help his confidence as a starter.

Or he could just shit the bed entirely.

Luckily for us he will be opposed by another mediocre mound man, Baltimore's Steve Trachsel.

After a couple of successful seasons in New York with the Mets, the 36-year-old vet is showing signs of wearing down as he has allowed at least four earned runs in 7 of his last 8 starts.

He's also allowed 9 homers in that time, covering a span of 36 1/3 innings.

Needless to say it doesn't take a Mensa member to figure out that this should be a high-scoring affair tonight, with a high probability of a bunch of balls exiting the Fens and a low probability of newly acquired set-up man Eric Gagne entering a close game in the 8th inning.

Unless the score is 12-11.

Go Sox!